Our Info

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Dr. Wheeler’s Formula for Successful Orthodontic Treatment

Getting your braces on is exciting, but
getting them off is the best day
ever!!! So you may be asking yourself, “How can I help my orthodontist help me get to that ‘best day ever,’ with the best result possible in the most efficient
way available”?

The answer is simple...

Consistency and compliance.

Let me
elaborate…

You (the patient) are a significant variable
that affects your treatment time. Your orthodontist may have the perfect
diagnosis and treatment plan designed and prepared for you, but he cannot
succeed without your cooperation.
Some things you might be doing can sabotage your own treatment time.These include 1) Missing, changing, or
spreading out your appointments, 2) Arriving late to appointments so the chair-side
technicians do not have sufficient time to perform all planned procedures, 3) Not
getting other necessary procedures done in a timely manner (surgeries,
extractions, restorative work, etc.), 4) Breaking or bending your wires or
brackets between visits, or 5) Not following instructions regarding rubber band
wearing, aligners, and oral hygiene. Consistently doing your part will not only
help keep your treatment on schedule, it will give you the best final results
too.

At the start of treatment, we gave you an
estimated time of how long your braces would be on. This estimated time
considers and assumes that you as a patient are being 100% consistent and
compliant with what we have recommended for you to do.

The intervals for adjustment visits we set
up range from 3 to 8 weeks—although typically it’s every 6 weeks.This interval is determined by the goals we
have for that particular interval, and considers the bio-mechanical properties
of the particular wires and ties we have selected for use.We set up the following visit to coincide
when the previous adjustment’s activation is about to “run out of gas”.It has been proven scientifically that teeth
move most efficiently under light, steady, and continuous forces.If that application of a continuous force is
ever interrupted, it takes a bit of time to get back into the “sweet spot” of efficient
tooth movement.We just don’t want an
activation to ever “run out of gas”.In
fact, even just rescheduling an appointment just 1 week longer than ideal can easily
add 3-4 weeks to your treatment time.If
you have been given rubber bands to wear—wearing them only 80% of the time
causes the job to be done in twice the time, and wearing them only 50% of the
time causes them to take 8 times as long for the treatment to be done.

Let me give you analogy.Have you ever had to push a stalled car?You might have noticed that it takes a little
bit of strength and effort to get the car to start rolling; however, once it is
rolling it is so much easier to push.This
is true with tooth movement as well.All
of what I am talking about occurs on the biological/physiological level within
the supportive tissue around the roots of the teeth.Once orthodontic treatment starts, special
cells are recruited by the body to migrate around the root of the teeth and
respond only to the stimuli of pressure…some remove old bone (osteoclasts),
some make new bone (osteoblasts). When forces are added to the teeth in a
consistent manner, this process works smoothly.However, if these forces are interrupted by missing appointments, poor
compliance with rubber band wear, or having broken appliances that need to be
constantly repaired, then these cells get confused by the mixed signals they
receive.This, at a minimum causes a
stop in the tooth movement (which takes a while to “get back up to speed”), but
worse tends to cause the patient to experience an elevated level of tooth discomfort.In rare cases, these cells get so confused
they can actually start resorbing other hard tissue like tooth root structure,
instead of remodeling bone.

Another important factor is to be consistent
and compliant with your oral hygiene.Keeping your teeth and gums free of bacteria-laden plaque keeps the
supportive gum tissue strong and healthy.If plaque is allowed to accumulate, then the gum tissues can get rather
inflamed as they try to fight off the infection of the bacterial plaque.Teeth simply do not move in areas of active
inflammation.To combat this you
must be vigilant and consistent with your hygiene including, brushing and
flossing twice or more times daily, and in seeing your family dentist regularly
for thorough check-ups and cleanings (at least every 6 months or sooner, if
advised to do so by your family dentist).It’s a war against plaque!!

If you are in treatment now and are
concerned by your prolonged treatment time, consider these three factors: Are
you really doing your part and is there any room for improvement? Have you
discussed your treatment progress with your orthodontist to see if anything has
changed from his perspective? If you’re confident that both of you are doing
your best, it may be that your body’s response to treatment is just slow. Sometimes, it’s the individual’s biology that limits
tooth movement to a slow pace.

Also consider this as well…Not all
orthodontists are the same.Some are
really focused and invested personally on making sure your treatment is
complete.Isn’t it comforting to know
your orthodontist Dr. Wheeler has the integrity to finish the job he started,
as opposed to one cutting corners just to say he finished “on time”?Any treatment less that completed is
unsuccessful treatment in my mind.

So to help your orthodontist help you
get the most out of your treatment …be consistent and compliant with…

1)Making all your scheduled appointments

2)Making it to your appointments on time

3)Following all of our instructions regarding rubber band wear,
aligner or appliance wear, and in following through with referrals for any adjunctive
procedures (extractions, surgeries, etc)

4)Keeping your teeth clean through good oral hygiene practices

5)Making your treatment a team approach—having both the parent and
patient—be active participants in the treatment.Ask questions, be engaged in your investment
of orthodontic care--come into the office, sit chairside for your child’s visit
and not just sit in the car.

2 comments:

We are just searching for an Orthodontist to take our first child. We want to make sure we take him to the best place. So I am looking for things to look for in a great orthodontic office. This blog was super helpful. I like the tip about a warm, friendly and fun atmosphere. I think that is really important.

About Me

Welcome to Wheeler Orthodontics, a respected provider in your orthodontic care community. We are located in Stockton, CA, and serve patients in the Stockton, Lodi, Manteca, and Tracy area. Our practice's top priority is to provide you the highest quality orthodontic care in a friendly, comfortable environment. We utilize the latest technological advances in the industry such as, invisible ceramic braces, self ligating brackets with 3M and Damon Q, Incognito (invisible lingual braces) and Invisalign, along with the latest in computer technology (digital imaging and advanced computer graphics) to ensure that you receive the most effective care possible.
We recognize that every patient has different needs, and we pride ourselves in the courteous service we deliver to each person who walks through our doors. Whether you're an adult, adolescent or child, our knowledgeable doctors and staff are committed to helping you achieve the smile you deserve - a healthy, beautiful one!